Johnny Football deserves to win the Heisman Trophy

Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel is already a legend for a reason, his freshman status shouldn't hold him back

December 2, 2012|Matt Murschel, College Insider

The mystique of Johnny Manziel has grown to the legendary status of Bigfoot or the chupacabra.

He's the Paul Bunyan of college football, reaching almost an iconic status. His moniker — Johnny Football — even invokes an almost hero-like quality with the quarterback standing seven-feet-tall and able to single-handedly win games with both his arm and legs.

Well, that second part is more truth than fiction, as Manziel set the SEC single-season record for total offense with 4,600 yards while leading Texas A&M to a 10-2. It's been the best season in Aggieland since the late 1990s.

The mystery surrounding Manziel has only intensified as his head coach Kevin Sumlin has shielded him from the public spotlight. That was until last week, when the redshirt freshman spoke for the first time all season.

And contrary to popular belief, Manziel wasn't accompanied by the chorus of angels when he spoke.

In fact, he seemed a bit humbled by the whole experience.

"I don't know if there is anything that I am dying to say," said Manziel during his 30 minute interview.

"It's extremely different for me," added Manziel. "I'm a small town kid."

"I don't see myself has Johnny Football."

On Saturday, Manziel can make college football history when he becomes the first freshman to win the coveted Heisman Trophy award. That's right, in the 78 year history of the Heisman, no first-year player has ever won college football's top prize.

It won't be an easy task. Manziel will be up against some stiff competition in Notre Dame's Manti Te'o and Kansas State's Collin Klein. However, it's been that way most of the season for Johnny Football.

Manziel won the starting nod in August, but his first collegiate start was pushed back after Hurricane Isaac forced the postponement of the season opener against Louisiana Tech. Instead he opened his career on national television against Florida and, while it wasn't a win, it did kick off his legendary status.

Not since the late, great Beano Cook proclaimed former Notre Dame quarterback Ron Powlus would win two Heisman Trophies with the Fighting Irish has a player like Manziel been surrounded by so much hype.

However, unlike Powlus, Manziel appears to be headed to New York, where he can join the likes of Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III. All quarterbacks with similar skills sets who have won the coveted prize.

His sheer talent may not be enough because some would argue that handing the Heisman Trophy to a freshman is wrong. To that, I say, tough.

While Te'o and Klein both deserve to be finalists for the award, both have things going against them.

Traditionally, Heisman voters have not rewarded players on the defensive side of the ball. The last defensive player to win the award was Charles Woodson in 1998. Te'o has a great story and, with Notre Dame's success this season, he should be a close second.

Klein also had a wonderful season, but Kansas State's loss to Baylor Nov. 17, quickly transformed the dual-threat quarterback from the mid-season Heisman favorite to the second-or-third choice.

Either way, Johnny Football isn't concerned whether he deserves the Heisman or not.

Notre Dame and Alabama will meet up in Miami for the BCS Championship Game Jan. 7. Even before the teams were officially announced, oddsmakers in Las Vegas had the Crimson Tide as an early favorite from as high as 10 points to as low as seven points.

Conference realignment

It was another busy week as the college landscape continued to shift under the weight of realignment. The Big East announced that it was adding Tulane and East Carolina (football only) to compensate for the loss of Rutgers to the Big Ten last week. To counteract the loss of Maryland to the Big Ten, the ACC reached out to Louisville, inviting the Cardinals to join the league in 2014. Meanwhile, Conference USA set its sights on FAU and Middle Tennessee State to fill the spots being vacated by Tulane and ECU. Got all of that? Good.

Coaching carousel

There are currently 15 FBS head coaching jobs currently. Kentucky, NC State and Idaho have hired new coaches. The Wildcats named former FSU defensive coordinator Mark Stoops their new coach, while NC State named former Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren as its replacement for Tom O'Brien. Idaho hired Paul Petrino, the brother of former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, to lead the Vandals.

Everything coming up Irish

How great is it to be a Notre Dame fan? The Fighting Irish have earned a spot in the BCS National Championship in Miami and on Thursday, the men's basketball team defeated No. 8 Kentucky, 64-50. Students stormed the floor of the Joyce Center led by members of the football team, including Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te'o, after the Irish earned their second win over the Wildcats in the past 13 attempts.

On the web

Every Thursday in our new online segment, Matt's Mailbag, I will be answering your questions about the college football season. Send me your questions by email, Twitter, or Facebook. Please include a first name, and I will answer them online at our College Gridiron 365 blog.

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